Where the Heart Is
by UP2L8
Summary: Roy comes home. Ed's been busy.


Author's Note: A late Christmas present, especially for my beautiful internet bride, Sisyphean Effort, because (says she) she never gets enough good presents, and that's a shame. This fluffy little oneshot fits into the Paper in Fire universe, set a few years in the future. I'm working on something bigger that I hope to start posting in the New Year, but it kind of got away from me, and at this point consists of three chapters and no decent conclusion, so it will have to simmer a bit longer. At any rate, I hope you are all having a great holiday. Enjoy!

Title: Where the Heart Is  
Author: UP2L8  
Rating: T  
Spoilers: None  
Warnings: Ed's colourful choice of words, and fluff like whoa.  
No beta, so it's probably not alpha  
Disclaimer: Not mine. No money. Please, no lawsuit.  
Summary: Roy comes home. Ed's been busy.

Where the Heart Is

Midwinter's Eve in Amestris. The holiday season was a time for quiet celebration. A time to reflect on the past year from the perspective of its end, and make plans for the new one. A time best spent at home, secure in the comfort of close friends and family.

Unless you happened to be Prime Minister. Then you had work to do, and all bets were off.

Most of the time, Roy Mustang found his position as Amestris' youngest ever head of state to be deeply rewarding. In the short time he had been in office, he had made great strides towards realizing his vision of peaceful prosperity for this country. Ongoing negotiations with Creta and Aerugo looked promising, and peaceful overtures had been extended to Drachma, in the hope that sometime in the near future, they could all look forward to exchanging goods instead of gunfire. The economy was stable for the first time in years. Word on the street was that Roy Mustang was a good guy, for a politician. High praise indeed.

But there were also times when Roy wondered if leading his country was worth the effort. It seemed that just as one crisis was averted, another one jumped to the fore. And making the big decisions wasn't the most stressful part of the job. No, it was all the little aggravations; the clashing of wills, the underhanded scheming, and especially the strain of maintaining a cool facade in the face of utter stupidity. That's what really wore him down. The weeks leading up to the holidays were always the busiest, as his political opponents were well aware, and the Prime Minister had to be particularly diligent. Honestly, some of the absolute garbage his colleagues tried to slip through the House under his radar was patently ludicrous.

Like the nickel fee for paper grocery bags that Central's former mayor thought should be made a national policy, all in the name of promoting the use of reusable bags of course. The man didn't seem to realize that that single issue was likely the proverbial straw that earned his solid defeat in the recent mayoral race, the taxpayers quick to see through another unnecessary cash grab. Of course simply vetoing the proposal upon discovery wasn't possible. Central's former mayor still had an inordinate number of friends in high places, so he had to be let down easy. Roy had arranged for the man to be invited to sit on a committee investigating the excessive number of fees levied on the capitol city's denizens. Ironic, yes, but Prime Minister Roy Mustang was known for his subtle sense of humour, and he liked it that way. What he resented, however, were the wasted hours spent dealing with trifling matters like these.

And unfortunately, that had only been one of many complications, both big and small, Roy had had to get under control in the minefield Parliament had become these last few weeks. With all the extra work, it wasn't uncommon for the Prime Minister to find himself locking his office door well past midnight, and tonight was no exception. Most of his staff had long since been dismissed for the evening when Mustang finally made his way out of the building to find his car waiting at the curb. He settled wearily into the back seat and was soon dozing lightly as his driver saw him safely home. At least he could look forward to having most of tomorrow off. Even the Prime Minister wouldn't be expected to forego enjoying Winter Solstice with his loved one, provided Drachma didn't decide to declare war that was. But the way his luck had been running lately, he didn't dare rule out that prospect, however improbable.

The porch light was on as Roy pulled his keys from his pocket to unlock the door, but no light crept around the drapes in the town house's front bay window. Edward had probably given up waiting for him and gone to bed. Roy didn't blame him. He'd had very little time to spend with his blond lover lately, though Ed never complained. The younger man had his own responsibilities of course. His freelance contracting business was doing very well. His two apprentices were beginning to take on more of the work load now, leaving their teacher with more time to indulge in personal research. And for infuriating Alphonse and Winry by making a concerted effort to spoil his niece. In fact, it wouldn't have surprised Roy at all to discover that Edward had given up on him altogether and gone to spend Midwinter's Eve in the company of his brother's family. It was certainly a warmer prospect than sitting alone, waiting up for someone who barely had time for himself, let alone his lover.

Stepping into the house, Roy was surprised to find a single candle burning on the small side table in the foyer. He shrugged out of his coat and walked into the hallway. Edward was there, standing in the darkness by the stairs.

"Welcome home," the young man said softly, holding out his hand.

Roy moved to take it, and pulled his lover into a tight embrace. Sighing deeply, he felt all the tensions of the day take flight, dispersing into the stillness of the moment. He would have been content to stay there for the rest of the night, but Edward soon pulled away, gently guiding a puzzled Roy down the hall to the dinning room.

The dark haired man stopped in the doorway as Edward stepped through, dark eyes wide with surprise. By the light of the hearth and the many candles flicking around the room, Roy saw that the dining room had been transformed. The buffet table had been pulled closer to the room's centre, a number of covered serving dishes nestled amongst the candlesticks. Gone was the large dining table, replaced by a smaller, more intimate one, elegantly set for two. Soft music played on the gramophone, scenting the air with the sultry fragrance of soulful jazz. Edward watched his lover as he took in the room, a pleased, lopsided smile tilting his lips.

Drawn by a mouth watering aroma, Roy moved to the buffet and lifted the lid from a serving dish to discover one of his favourite comfort foods: creamy risotto studded with vegetables and mushrooms. Lifting another revealed sesame beef with snap peas stir-fried to perfection, also a favourite.

"I thought you might be hungry," Ed said. "Hawkeye mentioned that you often work right through dinner."

"That's true, and I am," the dark haired man admitted. "And this is . . . amazing, Edward. The room, the atmosphere, the food. You've thought of everything."

"I did have help," the blond admitted. "Al gave me a hand rearranging the room. And Winry helped out with the cooking. And Hawkeye gave me a heads up when you left the office, so I could set out the food and get all the candles lit."

"I'm impressed Ed," Roy said, voice a little husky with emotion, as he moved to take a seat at the table. "You don't usually go for this . . . romantic stuff. It's a wonderful surprise."

"Well _you_ like this sort of thing," Edward said as he took Roy's plate to the buffet to fill it. "So yeah. I wanted to do something special."

"I'm sorry that I haven't been able to spend much time with you lately," Roy said softly. "I miss you."

"I miss you too. But I understand. You took over the world, and now you're out there playing who's got the biggest dick with your politician pals, keeping it all together. Still, I know you'll always come home at the end of the day, and that's all I ask. So if sharing you with the rest of the country's the price I have to pay to have you in my life . . ." Ed shrugged, then tilted his head to the side with an easy smile. The way the candlelight shimmered in amber eyes caused Roy's heart skip a beat.

"So come on," the young man continued. "Relax, have something to eat, and then we can head for bed."

"I don't think I'll be up for much more than sleeping tonight love, I'm sorry to say," Roy said apologetically.

"That's fine. Sleeping beside you is one of my favourite things to do."

It was times like these when Roy realized that home for him was not a place. Home was this beautiful young man standing in front of him, smiling so charmingly. This was where his heart lived. This was where his heart belonged.

Then Ed said, "And I suppose I have to cut you some slack. It must be tough to be so old." His grin turned cheeky.

Well.

Suddenly Roy found he had a lot more energy than he'd thought. He stood up and moved to stand over his impudent lover, took the plate from his hand to set it on the sideboard, then swiftly bent to scoop the blond up in his arms. Ed let out a surprised yelp and wrapped his arms around the older man's neck, finding himself nose to nose with Roy's diabolical smirk.

"And _I_ suppose it's time for me to teach you a little respect for your elders," Roy purred.

"What . . . but you . . . I thought you were hungry!" Ed sputtered as he was carried out of the room.

"I believe I would like a little hors d'oeuvre to stimulate my appetite for the entree." Roy nibbled on his lover's neck as he headed up the stairs towards the bedroom.

"You . . . didn't just call me 'little' did you?" Ed growled. "It'd serve you right if you threw your back out, going all Neanderthal like this."

Roy grunted, whether in eloquent response to Ed's comment, or from the strain of carrying his by-no-means light lover up the stairs was debatable. Gaining the summit, the older man was momentarily at a loss to discover the bedroom door closed, until Ed reached over to magnanimously open it for him. Kicking it wide, Roy hurried inside to toss his grinning burden onto the bed, then clicked on the bedside lamp.

Ed lay back and stretched, glowing golden in the lamplight. "Aren't you hot in those clothes?" He asked, then wriggled backwards to prop himself up on his elbows, letting his fingers trace along his abdomen, steel riding smooth over the cloth of his shirt.

Roy dove in. His welcome home was waiting for him with open arms, and he couldn't resist.

And really, why should he?


End file.
